May 2005
I didn't win but if I did.....
I am here today because I stand on the shoulders of all who have come before me and sacrificed to ensure my success. I could come back 999 times and I want to be a black woman each time (there was that one time I wanted to be a black man but I'm over it now). I love being black and I love the Black community. That love is directly linked to my love for my family and friends. I would like to thank them all for their love, support and commitment to all of the crazy things I have done over the years.
I thank my father for teaching me understanding and forgiveness.
My sister is my greatest cheerleader and is my motivation for wanting to be better. She is a true trailblazer.
My other mother, Millie, has shown me what true grace and excellence looks like.
To the women who were the motivation for 3Dreads and a Baldhead, (Jackie, Michelle, Michelle, Collette, and Shaun), I thank you for helping me remain true to my vision of "empowerment through laughter". Through highs and lows you are all my inspiration. And lastly,
To my mother who has taught me one of my most important lessons; as women we are sometimes force to recreate or reinvent ourselves. You have done so with class, creating a path that I have no choice but to follow because it is the greatest model of success that I have ever known. "You are the calm in a world full of thunder. I have no choice but to listen". Happy Mother's Day to my mother and to all of the mother's in the room tonight!
